حشا في حشائي الهمَّ والشوقَ ما حشا

حشا في حشائي الهمَّ والشوقَ ما حشا

غزالٌ من الأتراكِ ليس به حشى

غزالٌ من الأتراكِ ليس به حشى

He has crammed into my innermost parts such grief and yearning as none ever crammed—

He filled my heart with grief and longing—how he filled it!

a Turkish gazelle with no heart within him.

A gazelle of the Turks, free of breathlessness.

وَيُبدي لنا الهجوانَ من غيرِ زلةٍ

وَيُبدي لنا الهجوانَ من غيرِ زلةٍ

وأفجع مني القلبَ والعقلَ أدهشا

وأفجع مني القلبَ والعقلَ أدهشا

He shows us scorn though we have made no slip,

And he shows us estrangement, though we have done no wrong,

wounding the heart within me and bewildering the mind.

And he has stricken my heart and bewildered my mind.

أقاتلي والله نفسي عدوتي

أقاتلي والله نفسي عدوتي

فلا تَنْثني عَنْكُم ولا تقبلُ الرُشَا

فلا تَنْثني عَنْكُم ولا تقبلُ الرُشَا

I fight—by God—my own soul, my enemy,

O my slayer! By God, my own soul is my enemy:

yet it will not turn away from you or accept a bribe.

So it will not turn away from you, nor accept bribes.

ولو أن ما في الأرضِ طُرّاً عواذلي

ولو أن ما في الأرضِ طُرّاً عواذلي

لأصبحت من تفنيدِهم عنكِ أطرشا

لأصبحت من تفنيدِهم عنكِ أطرشا

Even if all who dwell on earth were my reproachers,

And even if all on earth were my reproachers,

their censuring you would leave me utterly deaf.

I would grow deaf to their reproaches concerning you.

وهل يتبع العُذَّالَ قلبُ مُتَيَّمٍ

وهل يتبع العُذَّالَ قلبُ مُتَيَّمٍ

بهِ أفرخَ الشوقُ العظيمُ وعَشَشا

بهِ أفرخَ الشوقُ العظيمُ وعَشَشا

Can a passionate lover’s heart obey the fault-finders,

And would a heart enslaved by love heed the reproachers,

when mighty longing has hatched and nested there?

Where mighty longing has hatched its young and built its nest?

بنفسي من كان العَفاف سجيةً

بنفسي من كان العَفاف سجيةً

له ما بقي في الدهر مُذْ حَلّ وانتشى

له ما بقي في الدهر مُذْ حَلّ وانتشى

My life for him whose inborn nature is chastity,

My life for one whose chastity is an inborn trait,

remaining his through all time, since he came among us and flourished.

His for all his days, since he came and grew.

وحبي له حبُّ العقيم لابنهِ

وحبي له حبُّ العقيم لابنهِ

ولو يستمعْ في مَقَالِ الذي وشى

ولو يستمعْ في مَقَالِ الذي وشى

My love for him is a barren parent’s love for a son,

And my love for him is a barren man's love for his son,

even should he heed the words of one who slandered me.

Even if he listens to the slanderer's words.

كتمتُ بما بي من هوىً ودفنتُه

كتمتُ بما بي من هوىً ودفنتُه

ولكنَّ ماءَ العينِ للسرِّ قد فَشَا

ولكنَّ ماءَ العينِ للسرِّ قد فَشَا

I concealed the passion within me and buried it,

I hid the passion within me and buried it,

but the water of my eyes has disclosed the secret.

But the water of my eyes has let the secret out.

طعامي الأسى والشرب فَيْضُ مدامعي

طعامي الأسى والشرب فَيْضُ مدامعي

وما كان ظنّي أن أجوعَ وأعطشَا

وما كان ظنّي أن أجوعَ وأعطشَا

Sorrow is my food, and the flood of my tears my drink;

My food is sorrow, and my drink the flood of my tears;

I never thought that I would hunger and thirst.

And I had not thought I would hunger and thirst.

فلا أنا حي أرتجي نيل وصله

فلا أنا حي أرتجي نيل وصله

ولا ميت حتى أكون منعّشا

ولا ميت حتى أكون منعّشا

I am neither alive, to hope to attain union with him,

So I am neither alive, hoping to gain union with him,

nor dead, that I might be brought back to life.

Nor dead, to be laid upon a bier.

شِفائي إذا يممتُ للسيرِ حسرةٌ

شِفائي إذا يممتُ للسيرِ حسرةٌ

إلى مَلِكٍ قد فاقَ من بالثرى مَشَى

إلى مَلِكٍ قد فاقَ من بالثرى مَشَى

My cure, whenever I set my face toward the road, is yearning

My cure, when I set out to travel, is anguished longing

for a king who has surpassed all who tread the dust:

For a king who has surpassed all who have walked the earth:

سعيد فتى سلطان يَفْضَحُ عنترا

سعيد فتى سلطان يَفْضَحُ عنترا

وعمراً إذا اصطك القناءُ ومَرْعَشا

وعمراً إذا اصطك القناءُ ومَرْعَشا

Saʿid, a young sovereign who puts ʿAntarah to shame,

Sa'id, Sultan's son, puts 'Antar to shame,

and ʿAmr, when lances clash and set men trembling.

And 'Amr and Mar'ash, when the lances clash.

فتى كلُّ شخصٍ جاء وقتَ زمانهِ

فتى كلُّ شخصٍ جاء وقتَ زمانهِ

تلحَّفَ من إكرامهِ وتفرَّشَا

تلحَّفَ من إكرامهِ وتفرَّشَا

A youth—every person who comes in his day

A youth: everyone who came in his day

wraps himself in his generosity and makes of it a bed.

Wrapped himself in his bounty and spread it as bedding.

فتى مَنْ أتاهُ مستغيثاً أغَاثَهُ

فتى مَنْ أتاهُ مستغيثاً أغَاثَهُ

وأولاه إحْساناً عظيماً وأنْعَشَا

وأولاه إحْساناً عظيماً وأنْعَشَا

A youth—whoever comes to him crying for help, he aids,

A youth who aided whoever came to him seeking help,

bestowing vast kindness upon him and reviving him.

And bestowed great kindness on him and revived him.

تساعدُهُ الأقدارُ فيما يرومُه

تساعدُهُ الأقدارُ فيما يرومُه

ويفعلُ ما يهوى على الأرضِ أويشا

ويفعلُ ما يهوى على الأرضِ أويشا

The decrees of fate assist him in whatever he pursues,

The fates aid him in whatever he seeks,

and upon the earth he does whatever he desires or wills.

And on earth he does whatever he desires or wills.

ويختطفُ الأبصارَ ضوءُ جبينهِ

ويختطفُ الأبصارَ ضوءُ جبينهِ

وترتجفُ الأبحارُ إن هو جيّشا

وترتجفُ الأبحارُ إن هو جيّشا

The radiance of his brow snatches every gaze,

And the light of his brow snatches away sight,

and the seas tremble whenever he musters armies.

And the seas tremble if he musters an army.

ملاذي إذا ما أعْضَلَ الخطب نابه

ملاذي إذا ما أعْضَلَ الخطب نابه

ليفرى لحمَ الجسمِ مني وينهشا

ليفرى لحمَ الجسمِ مني وينهشا

He is my refuge when a dire calamity bares its fang

My refuge when calamity's fang grows fearsome,

to tear the flesh from my body and gnaw it.

To rend the flesh from my body and gnaw it.

أرى ترب نعليه دواءً مجرَّبا

أرى ترب نعليه دواءً مجرَّبا

لِمَنْ حَلَّ في عينيه طلس من العشَا

لِمَنْ حَلَّ في عينيه طلس من العشَا

I deem the dust of his sandals a proven medicine

I regard the dust of his sandals as a proven remedy

for anyone whose eyes are veiled by the darkness of night-blindness.

For one in whose eyes the haze of night-blindness has settled.

ودم يا أبا الهيجاءِ والفخرِ والندي

ودم يا أبا الهيجاءِ والفخرِ والندي

على مربع العلياء لا صار موحشا

على مربع العلياء لا صار موحشا

Abide, O father of battle, glory, and bounty,

And live on, O father of battle, glory, and bounty,

upon the domain of high renown—may it never become desolate.

In the abode of eminence—may it never grow desolate.